Gone But Still Sickened

As I have written before, several of my colleagues have been forwarding me Mr. AP's memos.  While they have no affect on my life, they still sicken me.  Take this line, for example:

 

CUNY does not consider a student College Ready unless they scored 80 or higher on at least one of the Math Regents exams while they take in high school.  Therefore, students who scored a grade lower than 80 on MXRE or MXRG have been notified to retake the Regents exam. 

A child studying on his own will only score higher than an 80 if they have intensive help.  It is common knowledge that the longer the students are away from a subject, the more they forget.  teacher  The 80 DOES NOT MEAN the work has been mastered, only that the test has.  I have watched tests being looked over and seen points magically pulled from the air to give kids these points, points which help the school but do nothing for the student.  Mr. AP claims he doesn't want kids to have to take remedial math because he doesn't want them to pay for it but these kids need that extra term.  I've seen the kids who walk into the college math class ill prepared because all they ever did in high school was learn to pass an exam and they don't succeed.  It is far better to let them take one term of remedial math than to watch them fail term after term and eventually drop out.

Please do your best to convince them to retake the MXRE.  If they score higher than 80, their chances of passing MR21/MR22 increase drastically.  Provided, they have been working with algebra in MR21, there is no reason why they will not score over 80 in MXRE, particularly if  they are passing.

An 80 on the regents is the equivalent of a 63.75%.  The colleges are working hard to keep standards and help students.  They can't do this when kids come out of high school knowing so little.  The 80 he is looking for will help the school, and especially the math department look better but will do nothing for the students.  If anyone is really interested in using data, perhaps the kids who got these inflated 80's should be followed and their success rate should be noted.

Talent



Being blessed with talent is a wonderful thing.  On the way to our free weekend in the Berkshire's we passed the Circle Museum, a wonderful collection of sculptures made entirely of scrap material.  The artist told us it is getting harder and harder to find material as everything is being exported now.

I happily left him an unasked for donation.  Check out more of his  work here, on facebook.

A Career Celebrated



Mr. AP convinced a retired teacher to have a party.  She worked in the school for over 30 years and he felt, rightly so, her career should be celebrated.  (No comment here about the way he treated the departure of other teachers.)  She didn't want a party, but under pressure gave in.

I am happy for her.  She said the night was wonderful.  There were speeches from colleagues and administrators praising her and forty people were in attendance.  (I had to work or I might have been there as well.)  Even the admins who usually duck out the first time they think no one will notice (everyone notices) stayed until the end.

I went to the UFT retired teacher luncheon with this woman who commented on how wonderful it felt to finally be recognized after all the years she put in.  I know she found this was even more wonderful.  I wish her all the best and look forward to the time we will now get to spend together and to getting to really know someone I worked with for years but knew only in passing.

Kudos

Kudos to the principal of Packemin HS and all the other principals for signing the petition against the new teacher evaluations.

Will There Be A Curve?



The question I have been asked most often about the upcoming final exam.

Buyer Beware

(sunrise in the Berkshires)



It began with a phone call saying I won a free weekend in the Berkshires.  I was at work and the caller wouldn't give my husband any information.   She made arrangements to call back when I would be home.  When she called she wanted to know if my husband was around too.  Since it didn't feel right, I said no and told her to call back on the weekend.  Putting two and two together (I am a math teacher after all) I figured out the call was for a time share and I was going to turn it down.  But, being semi retired gives me lots of free time so we listened to the pitch and decided to go.  Unfortunately, the weekends available were no good for us.  My husband was disappointed.  I told him not to worry.  We would get a call back for another weekend.  Two weeks later the call came.

The sweet young woman on the phone promised us a free weekend in a one-bedroom condominium, breakfast and $125 travel expenses.  I asked her what the catch was and she assured me that we would only be required to listen to a 90 minute presentation.  We packed our bags and hit the road.

Saturday morning we were met by a real smoothest talker.  We told him we were sorry to disappoint, but we were not interested in making a $27,000 purchase.  He told us it was no problem, if we didn't buy, his next customer would.  He treated us like we were his best friends as he took us to breakfast and gave us a tour of the area.  He told us he made $180,000 a year selling time shares and told us how he makes money on the time share he owns.  (Told us how he does something unethical that we shouldn't share with his bosses.)  He was so charming that the non cynic would have thought they made a new best friend.

After 90 minutes we went back to the office and got hit with the hard sale.  When we repeated that we were not interested, he brought over his boss who came down almost 2/3 in price.  When we reminded him we were promised to be out of the meeting in 90 minutes and he got a little nervous about the noise we might make, he told us to go collect our money.  Of course we had to listen to one more sales pitch along the way.  This guy came down to $4900.  We still said thanks but no thanks, took our money and left.

Right now it is off season in the Berkshires.  Everyone in the hotel at the moment is on one of these free weekends.  An astronomical sum is being spent wining and dining them in the hopes of making a sale.   My feelings of sympathy for the poor guy not making a sale turned to ones of contempt when I realized how many people were being duped into spending so much money.  We wondered how many bought at $27,000 what was offered to us for less than $5000?  We wondered how many believed the hype about making $2000 or more a year renting out the time share.  (If this was the case, there wouldn't be so many foreclosures.) We doubted hsi $180,000 a year salary which he claimed wasn't so much.  (Living where he did, he could have lived like a king on that kind of income.)

All in all, buying one might not have been the worst idea in the world.  We might have bought if we didn't already own a vacation plan somewhere else.  Still, beware before buying.  Remember, these guys are not your friends.  And, never take the first or the second or even the third price.  You can walk out and then come back and take the last price when you know that is the lowest it will go.

Pain Free



Several years ago I needed some surgery.  My doctor grudgingly agreed to let me wait several months, until after the AP exam to get it.  I assured her I wasn't in pain and I would call immediately if things got worse before the scheduled appointment.

There never was any pain and  I did manage to wait until the end of May to have the procedure.  Once I had it, I felt like a new person.  I had learned to live with the discomfort and to not think about it, but it was there, bothering me every day and it was only after it was gone that I knew how bad it actually was.

I was reminded of this story as I walked in to Packemin every morning to teach my class.  I never realized the pain I was in daily until it was no longer a part of my life. 

Evaluation Time



As students get ready for their final exams at college, teachers are also being evaluated and it is not a five minute visitation by a no nothing supervisor.  It is an evaluation by the students who actually sat with this teacher every day. 

The evaluation form begins asking the students about he course and covers questions about their interest before and after, difficulty, objectives, workload, homework, things the student must deal with on a daily basis.  The student is even asked to rate their level of effort which includes attendance, note-taking, reading, homework, studying and participation.  Since the survey is anonymous, it is hopeful that the kids will answer honestly and this will give insight to who is doing the evaluation, unlike the anonymous RMT.

The next section asks about the instructor and includes topics such as preparedness, knowledge, ability to explain, availability for help, encouragement, organization and then ends with rating how effective the instructor is.

The evaluation then asks the student to mark their year in school, requirements class fulfills, current grade and the number of hours spent studying for the course.  Lastly there are four more questions the students must write out answers to, including if they would recommend this instructor or take another course with him/her. The instructor can even add a personal question.

The teacher is not in the room while the evaluation forms are being filled out and does not even see the results until the students in the class are a distant memory.  I know the schools use these forms.  When I interviewed for my current position I was asked to bring evaluations from the other college I taught at.  I know these reviews were carefully read every term and if enough comments warranted, I would not have been rehired.

It is always good for me to hear what my students think and want.  I've read, listened and adjusted based on their comments which were often right on the money. 

Millions of dollars are being spent on evaluation methods but that money is being wasted when the best evaluators are sitting in front of us.  They are cheap (free), available and want to help.  These are the voices that can help make a difference in education.  It is time to start listening them an.d using what they say.

Criminal

First my half gallon of Breyers became a 56 ounce container.  Now it is down to 48 ounces.

And now the pint of Haagen-Daz on sale at Fairway has a big sign in front of it saying the pint container has 14 ounces.  Playing with my ice cream should be a capital offense!

RIP



You can have all the money in the world, a great business, outgoing personality, liked by all, good looks and build,  but you can't buy longevity. 

My hear broke when I read Russ' obituary this morning.  He'll never see his fortieth birthday.

(We got to know Russ from our frequent Grimaldi trips.)

Gotta Love These Memos



Several of my former colleagues are keeping me amused by forwarding the department memos.  These two lines are particularly entertaining:

7.         A higher grade should not be given to a nice student while a lower grade given to a student who is not “nice” in your eyes if they have the same average.

8.         Please be very conservative in giving grades.  After you calculate each student’s average, please lower their average by 5 points if their exam grades are decreasing and increase the average it by 5 points if their exam grades are increasing.

 I don't have to put up with this lunacy anymore.  But I can still laugh at it and post it here for others to enjoy.

Impersonator



Someone is posting comments on Gotham Schools using the name PissedOffTeacher.

I can't believe I am being impersonated.  Next thing you know I will be a wax figure at Madame Tussands.

Kudos To A Real Teacher



This weekend I went over a trigonometry exam with a young man I tutor and was impressed.  His math teacher is a REAL MATH TEACHER who wrote a REAL TEST!!!  This teacher didn't get his exam from exam gen or some other computer generated program, he wrote the exam himself, USING PROBLEMS THAT TESTED UNDERSTANDING and gave him insight into what the students knew when he marked the test.  Even the few multiple choice questions used required the students to explain how they arrived at their answers.  It took the teacher a while to give back the exam because he LOOKED AT EVERY QUESTION and put corrections and comments down wherever it was appropriate.

All I kept thinking as we worked on this exam is that this man is lucky not to work for Mr. AP because, if he did, the exam in my hand would have been "U" RATED.  Mr. AP believes every exam should consist primarily of multiple choice questions and partial credit should only be given to a few questions.  He wants teachers to do an item analysis but actually looking at work is not something he pushes.  He believes in canned programs because they print nice, are easy to make up and are similar to those found on the regents.  They don't necessarily show what the student does not understand.

Hats off to this teacher.  There needs to be more like him.  And, he needs to model his exams for others.

A Mom's Pride

You work hard your whole life to provide the best for your children.  You can only imagine the pride the mom of this young woman felt, looking on as her 25 year old daughter administered flu shots, volunteering to do so, on her day off.

This mom did one heck of a job and watching her watch her offspring was a gift to us all.

Subway Magic

This little guy was entertaining subway riders on Saturday.  He was fantastic.  I almost missed the train listening to him play.

New Sight For Me

I always try to hit different streets walking around the city.  Yesterday, I walked across 97th St on my way to the Museum of City Of NY.  (Two great exhibits in this little museum--If you love fashion, and want to see a brilliant man's work Cecil Beaton and for architecture Kevin Roche--I didn't know how many of the buildings I love were designed by this man.)

Pictured above are Metro North tracks as they emerge from the tunnel and head north through the Bronx.

Black Friday In The City



I knew better than to shop, but I love the store windows this time of year.  That, combined with the good weather and my friend's only day off, I headed in and spent the day on Fifth Ave. (with a slight deter first to Bloomingdale's on Lex and then Barney's on Madison.)  The windows at Bloomingdale's were disappointing.  It seemed like no one could come up with a new idea so they just brought back ones from the past.  Barney's had a tribute to Lady Gaga.  Not their best, but interesting.  Bergdorf's has  really cool ones, they always do.  You have to check out both sides of the street and see them all.  Bendel's had some cool ones and if you need a bathroom stop--head in and then go down the stairs on the left.  All booths are private with their own sinks.  They are spotless, have plenty of supplies, even tissues and smell great.  Sak's had some bubble and snow stuff which wasn't so great, maybe because I am unfamiliar with the story.  Lord and Taylor's were nice, and they usually are.  My favorite is always Macy's.  The music piped onto the street really makes them come alive.

More pictures here--glare was not good to the camera.  Wheverever you live--go out and enjoy the holiday decorations.  Looking if free and great entertainment.

Black Friday



I don't understand the hoopla of stores opening at midnight or 4 AM.

I happened to be up early this morning so I decided to head over to Macy's (just a 5 minute trip) to use my $10 coupons.  The store and the parking lot were empty.

The customers that ran out last night are home, tucked in their beds now.  Was it really worthwhile for the stores to open at those ridiculous hours?  Wouldn't the sales be the same at say 8 in the morning?

Hypocritical Government



Thanks to a Congress, who cow towed to the lobbyists, frozen pizza is now a vegetable and giving kids unlimited amounts of potatoes is a good thing. 

Tuesday night's Chopped featured Sam Kass, the White House chef, along with four lunch ladies and the topic was healthy meals for school children.  No surprise here, big business wins out again.  Practicing and preaching are two different things.  Kids don't need healthy meals as long as the frozen pizza industry is making money.

Nervous Chihuahau



The little chihuahua was getting nervous.  The older, bigger dogs were starting to bark and people were beginning to notice.  She wanted  to do something but, not being very smart, didn't know what, so she started hiding in her office, coming out only when absolutely necessary.  (Like when she needed the fire hydrant.)

Chihuahua knew she needed help.  She hired a whole bunch of little dogs to work for her, dogs who pledged eternal loyalty. They took her side and her word.  They did her bidding.  They kept her safe a little longer.

Learn From Your Mistakes (There Are Many To Learn From)



There were final farewells today, mostly to the kids.  There was no need to say goodbye to the teachers who care about me, and who I care about, as our friendship will endure beyond Packemin.

A former student heard it was my last day and came to visit.  He is now attending a very prestigious college, taking linear algebra in pursuit of his engineering degree.  (He placed out of calculus.)  This student did not do well on the Packemin placement test and was put in the lowest level math class as a freshman.  (He is from South America, so his placement should be no surprise to anyone.)  I got to know him when he was a sophomore, saw how brilliant he was and pushed him ahead.  He did trig as independent study, got a 98 on the regents and then took BC calculus and got a 5 on the exam.

This is old stuff that I have written about before.  Today, as we were talking, the ninth grade teacher he had recognized him.  She commented on how smart he was even back then.  It struck me that she should have moved him then, but did not.  Truthfully, it is not her fault.  She was new and inexperienced and had no idea how exceptional he was and how she could have helped him.  Still, the point is that if she had asked an experienced teacher, or had a decent supervisor, this kid would not have been held back then.

My big mouth always gets the best of me and as Mr. AP was around at the time, I loudly said, "Someone really messed up on Owen's placement."  Now, anyone who knows Mr.AP knows he is never wrong never admits to being wrong, so instead of congratulating Joe on his success, he began defending himself by talking about another student.  I conveniently left as he was in mid sentence.

No one is perfect.  But, we have to admit our mistakes before they can be corrected.  If it wasn't for the AP Guidance, this kid would never have gotten where he is today.  I recognized his potential and she acted.

I am off Mr. AP's mailing list, but I still see his memos.  (They are so amusing various department members forward them to me.  He sent out a slide show full of serene messages.  Here is one of my favorites:

Life is school and we are here to learn.  Problems are lessons that come and go.  What has been then will serve us  for the days of our lives.

Too bad he hits the forward button before he reads the message.

Farewell



Today is my last class at Packemin.  Although I retired in June, I have been back, teaching a morning class for the community college.  This was my way ease out of the high school.  And, I have to say, it was the right thing for me to do.

Being back on a daily basis for the past three months showed me what I should have known all along, that I did the right thing by retiring.  I still get goose bumps when kids from last year gives me a big grin, a hug or tell they wish I was their geometry teacher this year.  But, people like Norm were right, I don't miss it.  I think I am going to like not having to leave my warm bed on cold mornings to face the ice and snow and rain. I am not going to miss the feelings of big brother watching my every move and I am certainly not going to miss the icy cold stares from Mr. AP  (Thankfully I didn't see him very often.  I leave before he is probably out of bed in the morning).  I won't even mention all the PD I won't miss.

I was at Packemin for almost 27 years and I walked out in June the way I walked in, alone.  I'll do the same today.

Another Product Of Our Schools

The college students are allowed three unexcused absences. 

Betty told me she won't be in class tomorrow-her fourth absence.  She is going on vacation.

She doesn't see any problem and wants to come to two of my classes to make up the missing class next week.  (Both classes meet on the same day and cover the exact same material.)  She is annoyed that I won't let her.

I forgot to mention, Betty has a 40 average and is a product of a NYC high school.

Can You See My Smile?



I just spoke to TRS and found out my pension was finalized this month. 

New Blog



Found a new blog that bears looking at. The blogger is probably a teacher at a school familiar to the readers of this blog. Those who know the school will certainly recognize the cast of characters, one in particular. Sorry, if you don't have access to Packemin you will have to find it on your own.

Bottom Of The Scale



A good assistant principal: 

1.  Knows the subject he is in charge of backwards and forwards.  The AP should be able to model lessons in every course the department offers and give assistance when necessary.  When observing a teacher, he should be able to determine whether the material being presented is being presented correctly.

2.  Promotes comradery among department members.  The AP should provide an atmosphere that encourages teachers to work together, to share materials and to create together.

3.  Does not take personal feelings into account when making up programs and other assignments. No teacher should be treated harshly or with privilege for any reason.

4.  Does not invite only select members to dinners, parties or vacations.  Some people might feel pressured to attend events they would prefer to avoid and it causes hard feelings among those excluded.  It is especially harmful to the morale of the department when the invited members are always treated better than the non invited ones.

5.  Treats all department members equally.

6.  Can deal with parents and students without being confrontational.  The AP can solve a crisis without escalating it.

I can't count the number of times I've heard a certain AP telling the department how he was the best AP in the city and how lucky we all were to be working for him.  And, while I would be the first to say he wasn't the worst in the city, on a scale from one to ten, he might be a 2.

Some Prank



Being a good, righteous person is a part of every religion.  When a person chooses to send their child to a Jewish, or a Catholic or a Protestant school they should expect their child to learn morals as well as religious and secular subjects.  And this is what makes the following story so sad.

A good friend teaches at a very wealthy school on Long Island.  This school caters to the devout of one of the religions mentioned above.  These children have been taught that they can do whatever they want and suffer no consequences for their actions, no matter who they hurt along the way.  Their parents are rich and give vast sums of money to the school.  Because of this, the school makes excuses and looks away from their sometimes criminal behavior.

Last week  twenty young men walked into a classroom, surrounded the teacher and began chanting.  They would not let him leave.  He could do nothing them and he suffered an injury before a group of teachers was able to make them stop. 

The principal and the other administrator were out of the building when this happened and did not return quickly when notified of the incident.  Caught on camera, there was no mistaking what happened.  The teachers demanded a meeting and wanted punishment meted out.  The principal tried to blame teachers for letting the boys out of their classrooms.  Thankfully, they did not get away with this.  The principal insisted these were good kids who made a mistake although many had histories of this sort of behavior going back years. 

A punishment was delivered.  A major trip planned for the weekend was supposed to be cancelled.  But, when the people in charge realized how disappointed the young men would be when they missed it, they were allowed to go anyway.  Instead, most were given a one day suspension.  The real instigators were suspended for two days.  A boy who missed the entire incident was upset because he had to be in class while his friends were home having fun.

The teacher could go to the police, but he won't.  He needs the job.  Many of the other teachers plan on leaving at the end of the year.

People say the public schools are rough.  Many are.  No one would expect this behavior in a rich, private school.  Teachers here are the 99% and can easily be replaced.  Poor behavior has always been tolerated here, but this is the worst it has ever been.   I'm not a part of this school but hearing the story makes me ill.  What have we become when behavior like this is accepted as a mere prank?

Need Mental Help



I'm retired. 

It's Saturday afternoon.

Why am I reading resumes and personal statements?

Why am I writing recommendations and going crazy trying to figure out this new system of submitting online?

I've got to learn to say no.

Honor and Honesty



If this was done with honor and honesty, I am the current Ms. America.

Hiding Behind The Computer

Never comes out of her office.

Always at the computer.

Could it be that she has revived her e-bay business and is busy doing that on city time?

Nah, that would not be honorable and we all know how honorable she is?

Traffic Jam



A driver was stuck in a traffic jam on the highway outside Washington, DC. Nothing was moving. Suddenly, a man knocks on the window.

The driver rolls down the window and asks, "What's going on?"

"Terrorists have kidnapped Congress, and they're asking for a $100 million dollar ransom. Otherwise, they are going to douse them all in gasoline and set them on fire. We are going from car to car, collecting donations."

"How much is everyone giving, on average?" the driver asks.

The man replies, "Roughly a gallon."

Little Darlings.



Little darlings are not all so darling anymore.  Some are even taking a stand.

Missing the old days yet?

Entitlement

The girl walked out of (college) class 20 minutes early.  She left without a word, no excuse, no apology, nothing.  To everyone in the room, she appeared to have left because she felt like leaving.  She had done this several times before so her actions shocked no one.  Not even being reprimanded by the teacher seemed to make a difference.

The next class had her in her seat bright and early.  Unfortunately, she had no clue as to what was going on and loudly announced she understood nothing.  She expected the class to stop while she was brought up to snuff.  The teacher calmly said the work had been taught the day she left early.  Instead of being apologetic, she got angry and claimed she only left twenty minutes early and then gave some lame excuse.  She was reprimanded for not doing the reading and the homework, her responsibility whether she was in class or not.  She walked over to another student, sat down and tried to get help in the middle of the class, never caring that her voice was keeping others from learning.  The teacher put a stop to that too.  Again, she got angry and said, "I"m not in the mood to talk to you now."  Before she was asked to leave, she sulked back to her seat and kept quiet for the rest of the class.

And then, without guilt but worrying about her grade, she sends this:

I would like to talk to you like an adult, on a professional level. I feel that sometimes you may have personal feelings towards me & it makes me feel very disrespected. Please don't get me wrong, I shouldn't have been asking for help in the middle of class, but Judy offered to guide me through a little bit until I understood it more. I am also admitting to my wrong for leaving 15 minutes before class ended but my little brother had an emergency at home so I had to get there as soon as possible. I try my hardest in this class and I never been to tutoring until I took this course & I'm truly desperate to master it. I just wanted you to know how I felt & to clarify everything via email. Thanks.

I decided I am too old and too tired to deal with this BS anymore and ignored the letter.  She got the point.  Last night, she was in the lab bright and early, trying to catch up.  She was as sweet as possible in class and worked hard too.

Part of me doesn't even blame this student for her actions.  Her high school education consisted of one entitlement class after another.  If she failed, there was a credit recovery class.  If that assignment took too long, the people in charge made it shorter.  If it was too hard, the passing grade was lowered.  She learned that she could always get her way and expects this to keep on happening.  What a generation we've created.  I fear for the future.

Media Is Finally Seeing The Truth Behind Credit Recovery



The media has finally woken up to the sham of credit recovery.  Oh, the stories I could tell...I've seen kids pay others to do courses for them and I've seen teachers dedicate their own classrooms to credit recovery.

How can any intelligent person believe that a child who could not do the work for while sitting in class will be able to take the next class, take a full load of classes and then complete credit recovery for 4 additional classes at the same time is beyond me. I've seen course loads of credit recovery that alone would take at least 20 hours a week and that 20 hours is beyond the regular school day.  If anyone bothered to look at the crazy assignments we hand kids, they would see what a farce this is.

And then these kids go to college and expect the same kind of treatment.